Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

This is a strategy for from now to 2020. Obviously, all these targets are issues for governments to pursue over that period. There are different requirements, priorities and levels of adjustment required to meet those targets in various countries. This country has made a great deal of progress on these targets as a result of our successive social partnership programmes over many years. The ability to improve social outcomes as a result of our economic policies has been significant. Many progressive policies have enabled this to happen. I refer to increased participation rates and increased investment in education. The challenge of unemployment obviously requires us to look at active labour market policies again to see how, despite the economic difficulties, we can address the issues as we did in the past. That will be an ongoing framework of work for Government.

Deputy Kenny made the point about the Reisling report. This report made it very clear that the issues of lending policies within banks were primarily responsible. It also refers to the regulatory situation and to macro-economic policies and fiscal policies of Government which I have spoken about and which I will defend as to our situation at the time. Hindsight is a great leveller for everybody. I refer to the Deputy's point about the targets set out in Europe 2020. These targets now provide the benchmarking for the work of successive Governments over the course of the next decade.

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